In recent years, flat panel televisions have become enormously popular in both commercial and residential sectors. As the prices for plasma and liquid crystal display (“LCD”) flat panel displays have continued to fall, and the quality for the same devices have improved, more and more businesses and individuals have purchased such devices for both home and business purposes.
One of the advantages of flat panel display devices that customers have found particular appealing is their relatively low thickness. Because conventional “tube” televisions have a relatively large depth, the placement options for such devices are quite limited. In the residential setting, most users require a television stand or large entertainment center to house the television. Such stands or entertainment centers can take up significant floor space, which is often undesirable. In the commercial or educational setting, users will often install large overhead mounting systems that can contain the television. However, these systems usually require professional installation and, once the television is secured to the mount, it is often difficult to access and adjust due to its height. With flat panel televisions, on the other hand, users are presented with a relatively new option: mounting the television directly to a mounting surface such as a wall. By mounting the television to the wall, the user can eliminate consumption of potentially valuable floor space.
Although the introduction of flat panel display devices on a wide scale has presented new opportunities to both residential and commercial customers, it has also presented new challenges. In particular, flat panel display devices, while usually having significantly smaller depth or profile than conventional “tube” televisions, tend to be quite heavy. The weight of a large flat panel display device can make proper wall mounting particularly challenging or even prohibitive to a residential user without engaging professional assistance. Where such significant weights are involved, it is especially important that users can easily, safely, and securely mount the devices without having to make substantial adjustments. Further, in view of safety considerations and the cost of such display devices, it is important that the device be mounted correctly on the first attempt: if the device is not correctly mounted on the first try, there is a high risk of damaging the device and causing injury to those installing it.
Additionally, the resilience of the mounted display device to incidental contact is also important. Because a flat panel can be massive and may be located where users frequent and where persons may be unaccustomed to encountering a television, it is important, from a safety perspective, that the display device be mounted such that it will not be dislodged by inadvertent, but sometimes significant, physical contact. Therefore, a display device should be mounted in a resilient manner such that the opportunity for disengagement of the display device from the mounting surface is mitigated.
Another aspect to take into account with flat panel display devices is the viewing angle. Certain flat panel display devices have narrow requirements regarding satisfactory angles from which the device can be satisfactorily viewed. Therefore, a mounting system should permit the tilt angle of the display to be manipulated to satisfy a particular viewing environment and a user's particular viewing requirements.
Yet another aspect to take into account with flat panel displays devices is the relative complexity in installing the mounting system and mounting the display to the mounting system. Conventional mounting systems often require a plethora of hardware for installation and attaching devices thereto. Although less complex mounting systems are available, these systems often lack robustness and/or tilt adjustability, rendering such mounting systems less desirable alternatives to more elaborate but cumbersome systems. As flat panel displays become more prevalent among consumers, it desirable to offer consumers an efficiently installable, yet robust mounting system that may be installed by the do-it-yourself user or is readily installed by a display mounting professional.
With the above considerations in mind, it would therefore be desirable to provide an improved mounting system that allows one to efficiently and resiliently mount a flat panel display at a defined tilt angle.